An Alternate View
by The Miniaturists
Summary: What does Rebecca make of the relationship between CJ and Molly? Let's take a look!
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone. The lovely Chevy Chase has decided to continue An Alternate View for your delight. So here you are, with a re-print of chapter 1, and chapter 2 straight behind. Enjoy, and thanks Chevy!

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AN ALTERNATE VIEW

by

Chevy Chase

The view from my sun bed is idyllic, the Mediterranean Sea is azure blue with a million sparkles on the water. The sun is warm with a light breeze to keep the temperature comfortable – perfect. Except it isn't perfect, my life isn't perfect. I am seething and I have a burning knot in my stomach: how can this have happened to me?

I, Rebecca James, always get what I want…

My childhood as Rebecca Montegue, only daughter of William and Sophia Montegue was that of comfortable priviledge. Daddy made his money in the city in the 80's, then a series of well timed investments meant that money was never an issue. Mum on the other hand never worked and was always on hand for me. Private schools, Pony Club and endless summers in the med summed up my childhood. I was never academically gifted, but then I never needed to be. I had no real intention of going to university, but when all my friends were applying I thought it sounded like fun and I didn't want to be left out. So with a little help from Daddy and the School, I managed to secure a place at University to study Geography.

It was during Freshers week that I saw him; six foot plus with penetrating dark brown eyes, lips to die for and a slim athletic body, he was laughing and drinking with his friends and he made my jaw drop – no-one had ever done that before. After some discreet enquiries I found out his name was Charles James, he came from Bath and he was studying English. My plans started to form immediately and a quick phone call to Daddy, followed by an interview with the Faculty Head, saw me, at the beginning of the academic year, start my English degree on the same course as Charles.

When I want something I am single minded and go for it relentlessly. I was tall and slim with long blond hair, ice blue eyes and cool as a cucumber and I made sure I was involved in every event Charles attended. We quickly became a couple and my cool exterior was melted for the first time by the intensity of our relationship, Charles was a fantastic lover, considerate, inventive and exciting. Oh I was still Miss Cool with everyone else, I know they called me the Ice Maiden behind my back but I didn't care, I was totally in love with Charles James.

The university years were bliss, sex, parties, drinking and staying in bed all day, I never worried about the academic side and my 2-2 result was not entirely unexpected. Charles on the other hand got a first and he could have done anything he wanted.

Daddy was all primed to set Charles up with something in the City, but he knocked me sideways when he announced that he wanted to go to Sandhurst and become an officer in the British Army, following in his Grandfather's footsteps. He had never mentioned it before and it was not in my game plan. I was not going to be an 'army wife'. However all that was deflected by Charles getting down on one knee and proposing, a week before he started at Sandhurst. I was ecstatic: I was in love! Our wedding later that summer was the full works, it cost a fortune and I was the envy of all of my friends.

I hated Charles being at Sandhurst – I hardly saw him and I hated the army for it! I kept that to myself though, as I was sure I could persuade him to leave after a couple of years.

The reality of army life was a total shock, our weekends away and dinners with friends being replaced by tedious army functions, don't get me wrong I could play the part of officer's wife at these functions standing on my head, but it was so not me to deal with smelly kit, bergans and boots!

I remember Charles was on exercises when I found out I was pregnant, I was shocked as it wasn't planned, but none the less I couldn't wait to tell Charles. He arrived back, dirty, exhausted and short tempered. I had cooked his favourite and had planned on breaking the news over dinner. His news that he was going on his first tour in four weeks hit me like a body blow. The tour was due to finish the week before I was due – I cried that night.

Charles was a bit gobsmacked he was going to be a dad, but was supportive and loving, however all too soon I was waving him off on his first tour.

Being on my own pregnant and bored was horrible, as I grew in size I became more and more miserable. The pregnancy was challenging, I was sick the whole time, frequently hospitalised and I couldn't wait for Charles to be home. Two weeks before he was due back I went into labour, it was long and exhausting but eighteen hours later I gave birth to our beautiful son Sam. It was eight days before Charles got to meet his son – I resented him for that, even though it probably wasn't his fault.

We moved into a bigger house closer to Charles's base and family life began. Except it didn't – he was never there, coming home late and exhausted, leaving all the baby duties to me, I felt like shit!

I snapped straight back to my pre-pregnancy body and a year down the line was beginning to get some sort of life back. I badly wanted Charles to leave the army and I am used to getting what I want! Charles wouldn't hear of it, his reasons of duty and wanting to make a difference jarred with me. What about us? What's wrong with being your own boss and answering to no-one? Why would you want to live out of a bag, in a tent in a grotty desert? We had some heated rows and afterwards I would feign a headache and refuse sex. – he hated that, Charles loves sex!

When he announced he was being deployed again - I flipped. The prospect of another solitary six months was unbearable. Charles did seem genuinely sympathetic and said he would make it up to me – by leaving the bloody army I hoped!

I took Sam with me to wave him off, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking, he was distant and he had his 'work face' on. I was so upset this wasn't fair.

I was having a new kitchen fitted the very next day, so immersed myself in dealing with that. Nothing went to plan, there were units missing, they sent the wrong doors and the fitter dropped the cooker hood, I was furious and I rang the company to complain and I was rewarded with a visit from the boss/owner and there it began.

Frustration and anger at Charles's deployment resulted in a rant to a startled Mr Jed Davies and to my horror I burst into tears. He took me in his arms and held me – Oh it felt good to be held. He sorted out all the problems and invited me out to dinner. So leaving Sam with a babysitter and still smarting from being abandoned, I went. I have a tiny pang of regret that perhaps this was ill advised – but hey no-one could blame me could they? Jed was slightly shorter than Charles, muscular and well covered, he was surprisingly gentle and I had him in the palm of my hand. He quickly became besotted with me and I loved the attention. He took me for weekends away, holidays in 5* hotels and treated me like a queen. He wasn't a bad lover just a bit clumsy and lacked imagination and I taught him a lot. I hadn't heard from Charles for three weeks when I decided to leave him and move in with Jed . I moved out the day before Charles was due back. I left him a letter – I suppose I thought when he realised how deeply I hated the army and how selfish he had been, he would beg me to come back – he didn't.

Within weeks I knew I had made a serious mistake, I didn't love Jed, he was kind and devoted to me but it was boring and I missed Charles.

Three months after I left, when I was due to drop Sam off with his Dad, I asked him if I could come back. I was fully expecting to have to grovel a bit, but when straight away he said "of course" I was delighted. However he followed that with "you can come back, but I will move back to barracks and in with my parents" – Damn!

To be honest I tried everything after I moved back into our home, to get Charles back. I was heartened by the fact Charles seemed uninterested in any other women. That so called friend of mine Olivia Portas kept inviting him for dinner and accidently 'bumping in to him', but happily he seemed oblivious. Sometimes I felt he was warming to me especially over Sam. He even cuddled me when Sam was ill, but we couldn't break down the barriers that were my infidelity and the fact he was still in the army.

The onset of another tour, his third, left me cold, but I was in no position to comment. Charles was his usual professional self, but I got the distinct impression he was pleased to be going. I was never much interested in Charles's work so we rarely talked about it, but his third tour changed him. When he returned he was quiet and morose, he said he had lost one of his men and he blamed himself as his Captain. I thought that was ridiculous, but his low mood continued despite my attempts to lift it.

Some months later I was overjoyed when he arrived unannounced at the house, I was sure he had come to say he wanted us to try again. My world fell apart when he said he wanted a divorce and that he was going to volunteer for a fourth tour to let me sort it all out. I never got on all that well with Charles's parents but even they said that Charles shouldn't make decisions like that whilst he was still so low and that they were seriously worried about him.

What choice did I have? He said I could keep the house and I clung on to the fact that we still had Sam and that would tie us forever. The divorce was finalised a couple of months into his tour but I was still supremely confident that he would eventually come back to me.

The knock at the door late one night was a complete boneshaker, Charles had obviously forgotten to change his next of kin. They said Charles had been shot and was seriously injured, he was being transferred from Bastion to Birmingham. I know it sounds silly but I had never really considered that Charles was in danger – it would never happen to him would it? – but it had. The reality of losing Charles and Sam losing his Daddy hit me hard. As soon as I was able, I packed Sam and I a bag to travel to Birmingham. When we got there, Charles was barely concious and had lots of tubes and equipment attached to him and he looked so ill. I'm not really very good with injuries and looking at his, made me feel faint. The doctors said that the first operation on his leg hadn't worked and he needed another urgently. Sam and I retreated to a family room in the hospital to wait for news. Sam wanted to leave a message for his dad when he woke up and a kindly nurse suggested he wrote it on his arm so it wouldn't get lost. It brought a lump to my throat and I hoped Charles would know it came from both of us. I remember thinking that he was so going to need me while he recovers from this and I would ask him to move back home whilst he recouperated.

I got a message from the ward to say he was back and awake at 6.30am. Feeling happy and optimistic, I dressed, applied my make up carefully and Sam and I rushed across to see him. I had hoped he would be pleased to see us but what I hadn't expected was for him to be gazing into the eyes of a scruffy squaddie – was she stroking his brow? Judging by the way she jumped back, I'm sure she was. Charles introduced her a someone who saved his life in Afghanistan, I felt sure that was an exaggeration so when she said she she had better go, I said not to on my account as I wanted to know more about this girl. Sam was giggling at her, which was annoying and I then decided it was probably better she went. It was the way she said 'ditto' when she said goodbye to Charles I didn't like and the way he looked at her! That was the first time I encountered Molly Dawes, I never saw her again at the hospital so dismissed it as a visit from one of his section and no more.

Disappointingly Charles went back to his parents house when he was discharged from hospital, he still had to have extensive rehabillitation at Headley Court, but I went to see him, using Sam as an excuse, as much as possible. He was distracted and distant and was very hard work! His parents were due to go away on holiday, so I took it as my main chance to get in there, become indispensible and work my magic on him. By now he was much more mobile, though he still had a heavy limp. When his parents left for Lake Garda I decided to visit Charles, for once without Sam, to try and get him to open up and talk and hopefully get him into bed. I was aching for some physical contact, especially Charles's kind of physical contact!

Strangely there was no-one in when I knocked at the door , I knew it wasn't his Headley Court day so I went for a short walk thinking he would be back soon. As I rounded the corner of the Royal Crescent I saw him up ahead, it was his limp I noticed first, but he wasn't alone, he was arm in arm with a small girl with long wavy chestnut hair. I couldn't make out who it was and hurried to get closer. Before I could get close enough they disappeared inside the house. I remember thinking was she part of the rehabillitation team or maybe a visiting relative. I hovered outside wondering whether to knock, in the end I decided to go and collect Sam from school and return to see if the mystery lady was still there.

Returning with Sam I was met at the door with a less than warm welcome, Charles was reluctant to let us in, but Sam pushed past and ran into the kitchen. Charles was quickly behind him, to find Sam standing at the table talking to the girl. It took me a minute to realise who it was, well she was a lot cleaner than she had been the last time I had seen her. No less than Molly Dawes! This had to be against regulations, even if she was just visiting, I excused myself and headed for the bathroom upstairs to calm down and collect my thoughts. As I walked past Charles's bedroom, there on the floor, beside the rumpled bed was a pair of sandals and a black clutch bag, Charles would never leave his bed unmade and only one conclusion could be made, they had slept together. I turned on my heels collected Sam and left. I waited until the next morning before phoning Charles and gave him a piece of my mind. I would not have Sam subjected to any floozy squaddie he decided to bed! Charles was icy calm and pointed out Molly was a friend and I had arrived uninvited!

As quickly as Molly had arrived she was gone again, leaving Charles in an upbeat mood. A couple of days later I was dropping Sam off at his father's when he took a phone call, it was obviously from Molly Dawes, as he kept saying "Molly calm down" she appeared to be crying and incoherant. What ever she said shocked him to the core and he just sat down in a trance. He didn't respond to me at all, but as I hoped they had split up, I took Sam back home with me. I only found out what it was all about from his mother, when she informed me that Charles was away at a funeral of another one of his men. The soldier had died suddenly when he was with the medic that had saved Charles's life.

Charles returned to his distant distracted self when he returned and as Molly Dawes seemed to have disappeared and he wouldn't talk about her, I assumed they had indeed finished. I was out with the girls and had had far too many proscecco's one night when I decided to just go for it. The girls had encouraged me and I rang Charles and asked him to come round, he didn't know that Sam was staying with my parents and he assumed there was something wrong with him. I put on my sexiest underwear and lay on the bed and waited. My sole intention was to seduce him, after all he could never resist me before - I could give that Molly Dawes trollope a run for her money!

Charles laughed, he actually laughed at me and said " Rebecca put your clothes on, I'm not interested" I was burning with frustration and anger - how dare he! He told me he had found the love of his life and whilst he wasn't sure she would come back to him as she had taken a short tour in Afghanistan, I had done him a favour, leaving him when I did.

Molly Dawes is the polar opposite to me and I hate her. I hate them both! I have come out to my parents villa to calm down and think what I'm going to do next. Nobody has ever turned me down,

I always get what I want….


	2. Chapter 2

**An Alternate View – Part 2**

Entering the cocktail bar was a relief it was warm and inviting, a sharp contrast to the street outside, which was freezing cold and threatening rain. Looking at the drinks board above the bar, my eye is drawn to the 'prosecco offer' emblazoned across the top; I shudder and order a gin and tonic. I haven't touched prosecco since 'that' night, it brings back all the feelings of rage, frustration and humiliation that I felt. I find a seat and set about waiting…

When I went to the villa my mind was focused on revenge. I was hurt and furious at everyone. I knew I still loved Charles and I couldn't bear it that he wanted someone else. Frankly I'm not one of those people who fall apart in such situations, in fact it focuses my mind on what I can do to get what I want – but what the hell could I do?

My initial thought was to stop Charles from seeing Sam – that would teach him! However, whilst it would have given me much satisfaction, it would be a bit like 'cutting off my nose to spite my face' as it would inevitably mean that Charles would hate me and I wouldn't see him at all. So back to the drawing board!

My next thought was maybe getting close to Charles's parents and getting them on my side would be a good move; the only problem with that is I don't think they like me very much. Its never bothered me before, but it might be a bit of a barrier to getting them on my side!

I rapidly came to the conclusion that the only other way of getting close to Charles was through his and our mutual friends. Charles's best friend is called Elvis – ridiculous I know! They met in his early days at Sandhurst and It must be true about opposites attract, because Elvis was everything that Charles was not. Phrases like Jack the Lad, reckless, wild and adrenalin junkie were some of many phrases used to describe Elvis and when he joined Special Forces a while later, it was no surprise to anyone. He got Charles into all sorts of trouble, mainly covering for his 'no shows' I didn't dislike Elvis, but the last thing you want, when you're newly married is a good-looking womaniser being your husbands best friend!

Elvis had a girl in every base and I gave up trying to keep track of them. I remember we went up to London one weekend and stayed with Elvis and a new girlfriend called Debbie or 'Deb' as Elvis called her, we had a really good time, but we had to cut it short, as my parents rang to say that Sam had been sick and was running a high temperature. I left my jacket behind in the hurry to get away, it was a bloody expensive jacket, so when I managed to get back, to retrieve it, a few months later, it was a very different Debbie that greeted me, she was red-eyed and unkempt, with a ghostly pallor. She broke down and said that Elvis had sent her a text saying he had met the girl of his dreams and they were over. Well, Agony Aunt I'm not, but I made her a cup of coffee in the hope it might stop the waterworks. It was a shitty thing to do, but nothing Elvis did surprised me! It took me all morning to extract my jacket and she didn't even drink my coffee, she said the smell made her feel sick – Charming!

Charles was appalled at his treatment of Debbie and was even more appalled when he found out 'the girl of his dreams' was an army medic Elvis had been on tour with. Charles knew of Georgie, but hadn't really had much to do with her. Charles told me Georgie was from Manchester and he had invited her and Elvis over for dinner. Elvis always had decent looking girls, but they could be lairy and a bit course and I had no reason to think Georgie would be any different. To be honest I was a bit out of my comfort zone – I mean what do you give an army girl from the north to eat and what the hell would we talk about? My worries were unfounded and Georgie turned out to be my kind of girl, we bonded over facials, eyebrows and a particular serum we both loved. Elvis was smitten and I approved of his choice.

I had kept in touch with Georgie even after Charles and I went a bit 'Pete Tong' as Elvis liked to put it. So, when I received an invitation to the wedding, just after I returned from the villa, I knew this was an ideal opportunity to be in Charles's company again. I rang Georgie to accept the invitation, I managed to steer the conversation around to the guest list and turned on the charm saying as I only knew Charles, Elvis and herself so could I be sat close to them. I was delighted when she said that obviously Charles, as best man, would be on the top table, but as he wasn't bringing a partner, she was sure after the formalities I would be able to be with him. She said she would put me with her gran which was on the table next to the top table – result! I don't think she had any inkling of my plan or if she did she never said.

The wedding was being held in Manchester Town Hall a huge building in the centre of Manchester. It was architecturally quite imposing, with loads of steps, but not exactly pretty or my kind of venue at all. I knew I looked good, my Stella McCartney outfit was so classy and I turned all their heads when I took my seat. I searched the front row for Elvis and Charles but there was no sign - Oh I hope Elvis hasn't gone to the pub for dutch courage I thought! When Charles appeared at the side of the Registrar and strode purposely down the aisle, closely followed by Georgie's mum, I knew something was up! That deep frown line was scored deeply into Charles's forehead and his face was like thunder. I turned to follow their progress out of the room and saw that Georgie and her Dad were already waiting. They all disappeared out of sight and it was bloody ages before we found out the wedding was off. I was beginning to lose the will to live as Georgie's gran had been talking incessantly about her gas bill and the latest soap she was watching, on a loop. Georgie's dad stood up at the front and said that there had been a problem and the wedding would not be taking place. I was shocked – how humiliating for Georgie! The room was stunned into silence, followed by everyone talking at once. Then Georgie's gran started recruiting a posse to track Elvis down to 'hang his bollocks on the washing line', which I assumed was a euphemism for his castration!

Unfortunately, I never saw Charles again that day, he had apparently had to tell Georgie the bad news and had felt so bad he had accompanied her back home, never to return. That left me high and dry, another plan having bitten the dust.

As I said I'm no agony aunt, so I steered well clear of Georgie. I mean what do you say to someone who has been jilted – not many positives there! I tried to find out what had happened when I dropped Sam off with Charles the next week, but he wouldn't talk about it and said it was none of his or my business if Elvis had changed his mind! He was particularly grumpy and irritated that day as an assessment of his injuries hadn't gone well the day before. I don't suppose running up all those steps last week in Manchester helped!

Gilly , one of my friends rang me just after I had dropped Sam off, inviting me to the opening of her new spa the following Saturday. Irritatingly my parents were away and obviously Sam would have just been to his father's, but I so wanted to go, so when I went to pick Sam up the next day I turned on my best smile and asked if Charles would mind if Sam came to him on the Saturday. He was dressed for gardening, when I arrived, he wore a navy checked shirt and jeans and was busy having a load of instructions given to him by his mother about which shrubs to cut back and which of them should be removed. His mother was on her way out to play golf and was anxious the job was done before she returned. I watched the scene with some delight as Charles looked particularly good in those close fitting jeans and who would have thought gardening gloves could look so hot! Any way he agreed with a grimace, which I put down to his injuries and the prospect of them being aggravated by all of the gardening duties.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear; I had warned Sam to be a good boy for his dad that day as his leg had been very sore and he was very sad about it. I was somewhat taken aback by the beaming smile Charles wore when he opened the door. He called me Bex and offered me a coffee, something he hasn't done for years. I was so happy! I had to decline the coffee as I was running late, but was buzzing he was being so nice. As I left Charles said he needed to talk to me away from Sam, and could I meet him the next night? I suggested a new cocktail bar that had opened on the high street, which he smiled and agreed to.

On the way to the Spa my mind was working overtime, what on earth could he want to talk to me about? It couldn't be about Sam as we'd both been to Parent Consultations at his school very recently and were very pleased with his progress. Having said that I'm very tempted to go back and ask just what kind of English they are teaching, after Sam's comments last night. I picked him up from After School Tag Rugby training and he said he "might gonna have to stop and get a McDonalds". Firstly, we don't do McDonalds, as I'm hoping he will live beyond forty and secondly experiencing 'gutter' English is not what we're paying those exorbitant school fees for!

I wonder if this was about him leaving the army, Charles's father had let it slip that Charles may never get fit for active service again, which would only leave an army career sitting behind a desk, which I knew Charles would never be able to do. Maybe if he was planning on leaving the army he had realised he wanted Sam and I back as a proper family again. I mean we have both strayed, me with Jed and him with that silly, far too young, medic, that by the way seems to have vanished, so all the things that prevented us being together no longer exist. He was being so nice that must be it, somewhere deep inside a bubble of excitement started to grow.

So here I am waiting, I look up and OMG here he comes. Oh, be still my beating heart, that smile does it for me every time. I wonder how he will ask me to get back together, will he just come out with it, or even properly propose again? My heart is beating so loud and fast I'm sure that he will hear it. He asks me if I want another drink, all I can do is nod.

When he comes back with the drinks, he sits down opposite me and takes my hand – I think I'm going to hyperventilate! Oh for fucks sake! I look up and see his cousin approaching, she stops and nods at me – needless to say Charles has dropped my hand! Turning her attention to Charles she proceeds to regale him with a tale of woe about a traffic warden, eventually coming to the end and finished off by saying "its strange never see you for months then twice in one week." 'I've never seen her for years and I haven't regretted it! She makes to leave, kissing Charles's cheek and saying "it was lovely meeting Molly too" – WHAT! I'm brought back to the present by Charles picking up my hand again. My mind is all over the place, what did she mean?

Charles takes a deep breath and says "Rebecca I'm so pleased that we're on so much better terms than we were and really seem to be connecting again. Getting shot and its effect on my health has made me to look at my life and how I see my future. It has caused me to think that my best course of action is to resign my commission and leave the army" – well bloody hallelujah, I've waited so many years to hear those words, but not wanting to gloat, I nod understandingly. Charles continued "My world has changed, after we divorced I was so lost and felt I would never be happy again, but I can now see a way forward" – Arggh here it comes! "Molly has returned from Afghanistan and come back to me, she has shown me how much I still need the army and understands everything about me. I love her with all my heart and I have asked her to marry me. I hope that you will be happy for me Rebecca and allow Molly to be part of Sam's life".

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. A roaring in my ears drowns out anything else he says. He's wittering on about weddings next year and getting back into training and finding a house near Molly's next posting, he looks animated, alive and excited. I feel like I'm at the bottom of a dark hole. Is that my voice? Its tinny and squeaky and its saying "congratulations". I down my G and T in one and excuse myself, finding refuge in the ladies' cloakroom. My hands are shaking so much I can't even turn the tap on. The cold water on my face brings some semblance of reality back and I take some deep breaths. I've made a mistake! I have under estimated this Molly woman, how can Charles want to marry her? The bitch has also talked him into staying in the army – unforgivable!

I need to go home and process all this information. I think for the first time in my life I know what people mean when they say their heart is broken, I've always thought it was sentimental crap, but it hurts like hell. As I get back into the car I make a promise to myself that no-one will ever do this to me again. I may not figure in Charles's plans for his future, but I sure am going to be part of it while Sam is still young. I hope his new wonder bride has stamina because she's in for a bumpy ride dealing with me. If she thinks I'm going to go quietly she is sadly mistaken!


	3. Chapter 3

_The lovely Chevy Chas has updated her thrilling take on Rebecca's perspective. Sorry if you opened this before and saw pages of code. I think ff was having tantrum at me not switching on my computer to upload and trying to do so from the warmth of my bed. Anyway. Now, you can sit back and enjoy this thrill of a chapter. :-)  
_

 **An Alternate View Part 3**

OK OK, there's only so much of the 'loved up' grin that I can take. There is no way that Charles is going to be happier than me and as Annabel, my party loving neighbour, said "Operation get Rebecca a man" is underway!

Now I don't think I'm hard to please, as long as he's good looking, rich and an awesome lover; I'm not really fussy.

The ladies who I lunch with set me up on a blind date with the "perfect" man. Apparently, he was blond, good looking and the heir to a brewery, mind they said they couldn't comment on the sex bit, but by all accounts, he was 'hung like a donkey' that's if his rugby playing pals were to be believed. I must admit I may have been a bit interested.

His name was Duncan, the blond hair turned out to be bright ginger and as for good looking, well think Donald Trump crossed with Ed Sheeran and you wouldn't be far away. The meal itself was OK and he was pleasant enough, but OMG his laugh was just like a donkey and I couldn't, I just couldn't!

I've had a look at on-line dating, but it's like looking at a load of beef burgers when you have been used to fillet steak. Yes, my fillet steak is currently playing happy families with the English version of GI Jane. It's totally ticking me off, ex mummy and daddy in-law love her, and Sam thinks the sun shines out of her. Bah!

I've been a bit selective with Sam's visits if I'm honest. If I know she's going to be there, I change my plans and stop him visiting his dad, making sure she's back on duty before I let him go. Why on earth should I make it easy? I don't feel guilty one bit! Oh, and maybe I was a bit naughty when I was talking to the Colonel's wife, She was saying what a miss I was at the coffee mornings and fundraisers. So, I may have just dropped into the conversation that Charles's new partner was so good at that sort of thing and such a marvellous baker, that she should get her on board. I also mentioned that she had a superb singing voice and that she should ask her to join the choir as a potential soloist! Ha, Sam told me her singing voice was terrible and I know if she turns up at the fundraisers with that accent, the officer's wives will make mincemeat of her! I mean where's the harm? It's just a bit of fun.

The most frustrating thing about stirring up a bit of trouble for the 'saintly' Molly is that I cannot witness any fallout. Something must have happened though, because when I dropped Sam off at his dad's a few weeks later, Charles said that in future he would either pick Sam up from mine or we would meet somewhere neutral. Apparently, my ex mother in law has banned me from the Royal Crescent! Sam said he thought it was something to do with scones, but he said Granny wouldn't tell him what had happened. Ooo Back of the net!

I need something to do! Daddy is giving me a generous allowance and the money I get from Charles keeps Sam and I comfortable, but I'm bored! My friend Poppy has her own top of the range mobile catering company and has several times asked me if I would like to help out. Not making or serving the bloody food you understand, but to oversee events and be front of house, welcoming the guests and keeping the hired help in line. I've sort of shadowed Poppy and I know I could do it, probably better than her! Business has really taken off for her and she really knows her stuff, the only thing is she doesn't look the part, whereas I do.

Charles announced that he and Molly would be getting married, before he goes on his next tour to Kenya. I hope Molly enjoys being abandoned, mind Sam did mention that he thought Molly was being deployed too. Well they can't be together, chain of command and all that, its so frustrating now they don't tell me anything!

Charles and I have agreed the weekends that Sam will visit him, up to his deployment and apart from the normal ones, Charles has asked for two extended weekends, six weeks apart. Now I'm well aware that Charles isn't going to tell me the date of the wedding in case I try to 'fuck it up' ( can't think why they're so paranoid) but its not rocket science to work out that probably the first weekend is the suit fitting and the second is the wedding. I've tried quizzing Sam but I think they're keeping him in the dark too. As much as I can't stand Molly 'bloody' Dawes I wouldn't stoop so low as to interfere with the wedding. In fact, I'm thinking of going away that weekend. Maybe fly across to Monaco, Daddy has friends there and I'm sure the future partner pickings will be better out there.

I've bought Sam an I Phone and made sure it's got a damn good camera on it. We've been out practicing taking photos, especially close ups. If I can't be at the wedding I'm damned sure I'll see the photos. There's no way she will look as good as I did when I married Charles. I'm glad to say Sam has taken to it like a duck to water and his photos are as good as mine now.

Well the weekend of the 'suit fitting' arrived, it was forecast warm and sunny and I had planned a spot of retail therapy followed by a pub lunch in the sunshine, the next day. Charles picked up Sam as arranged and no sooner were they gone that my phone started ringing, it was Poppy, in a panic. She was due back from holiday that day, but her flight had been delayed 24 hours and she had an event the next day. She begged me to cover it for her and that one of her girls would pick me up at 11.00am and brief me about the itinerary. It was a bit irritating that it was such short notice, but I felt sorry for her and agreed.

I was up and dressed in plenty of time, looking pretty good if I do say so myself. The catering van arrived promptly at 11 o' clock, Jo, Poppy's catering manager was driving, with a couple of young girls as passengers. If they thought I was getting into that, they could think again, I said I would drive myself and follow behind. Just as we were about to leave an unholy row broke out between Jo and one of the girls. Apparently, the girl had omitted to load the champagne onto the van and was getting a tongue lashing from Jo. I stepped in and told Jo to stop yelling like a fish wife and that I would drive the girl back to the unit to retrieve the champagne and meet them at the venue. No wonder Poppy couldn't leave them to do this themselves, I think Jo's days are numbered if I'm going to do this with any regularity. It was a short journey to the unit and with the champagne packed into the car, we set off for the venue. The girl started to give me directions to the location and as we drew closer I began to feel a bit uneasy – God we were close to Charles's parents' house. The feeling of unease was replaced with sheer panic as we drew up to the rear of No20, what was this event again? A small family wedding was the reply!

Fuck, fuck, fuck, how was I going to get out of this nightmare? Just as I was about to drive off again my door was wrenched open by Jo, barking orders at the girl to" get the bloody champagne out and on ice" and pulling me out to look at some broken candles! I don't give a flying fuck about the candles! My heart rate calmed down slightly when Jo said the house was empty as all the family were away to the church for the ceremony and had just gone, so we had about an hour and a half before they all returned.

I had been in the garden of No20 Royal Crescent many times and I must admit it was looking pretty good with lanterns and fairy lights strung between the trees, with a marquee with lots of seating outside. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug – a reception in the back garden – very classy -not! Jo was busying herself with the hot food and the girls were pouring the glasses of champagne for when the guests arrived back. There was no way I could be here when they all arrived back, but I must admit It felt very naughty to be there especially when I was banned from the house. Could you just imagine Charles's face if I was standing greeting his guests, when he got back from the church, not to mention his mother's!

Being at a bit of a loose end, I wandered into the house, through the kitchen and looked into the dining room. Everything looked as it always had done, may be a new set of curtains in the dining room, but other than that, nothing had changed. I wandered out into the hall and looked up the stairs to the rooms I knew were up there. I don't know what got into me, but I just couldn't resist going upstairs one last time, I doubt I'd ever get the chance again. As I walked up the stairs, I remembered all the times Charles had carried me up there before we got a place of our own. He always carried me into his bedroom and kicked the door shut with his foot. As I entered his room, the smell of him hit me, Oh how that smell did things to my stomach. I had spent many hours in that room, the walls had been decorated but the bed was the same. I remember as we made love the bed would squeak really loudly, so much so, I was embarrassed the whole house could hear it. I went down to his Dad's workshop and found a wedge that I jammed into the frame to stop the squeak, it worked a treat. I wandered over to the bed and lifted the quilt, it was still there, a quick tug and the wedge was out, Molly could find her own solution to the squeak! Charles's bedroom had a small balcony over looking the garden, I had always loved it and the doors had been left slightly open to cool the room. I had a quick peek out and everything in the garden seemed to be going well, no need for me to rush back then.

There was no sign of Molly in the room which I was glad of, sitting on the bed, remembering how it had been, was a bad idea. It set off all sorts of tingling in places that hadn't had any action in a very long time. Burying my head in the clothes hanging in the wardrobe also did nothing to quell the desire. So with a big sigh I pulled myself away and put my hand on the door handle to make good my escape.

I froze, there were voices coming up the stairs, this room was the first one you come to, so I couldn't go out. I would just have to wait until they passed by. The fight or flight instinct was activated when it became apparent the 'voices' were coming into the room. I chose flight and after a quick evaluation the best option was the balcony, through the open doors. Luckily the voices were too busy kissing each other to notice the swinging curtains and I pressed myself as far back against the wall as I could. Jeez, this could not be happening, my heart was beating out of my chest and I felt sick. If they saw me how the hell could I explain this away, especially not dressed up as if I was going to the bloody wedding!

Their voices came closer to the balcony – oh please don't come out please! I gave a silent thank you to whatever spirit was looking out for me, when I heard the unmistakable squeak of the bed and realised they had gone back inside. This was quickly followed by a feeling of absolute horror at the prospect that I may be about to witness my ex-husband and his new wife consummating their new marriage!

My breathing was becoming erratic and a waft of pungent onion from below added insult to injury as my nose started to tickle and I knew with sickening certainty I was about to sneeze! I pinched my nose hard, which stopped the sneeze but started my eyes watering and my nose running. Franticly searching, I found a lone tissue in the pocket of my jacket and dabbed my eyes to halt the descending mascara, all the time resisting the irresistible urge to sniff.

Thankfully I could hear Molly telling Charles they needed to go downstairs and greet their guests. The squeak told me Charles had got off the bed and they had left the room. The last words he said to Molly ringing in my ears:

"You look beautiful and you've made me the happiest man alive. Come on then Mrs James lets go and meet our guests"

Schmaltzy crap! He never said stuff like that to me, though I must admit the "Mrs James" bit was like a punch to my stomach.

My body physically relaxed and I moved to 'get the hell out of there'. Opening the door quietly I was dismayed to hear that the happy couple had positioned themselves at the foot of the stairs to greet their guests, cutting off my escape! Then, I remembered Charles once telling me about another set of stairs that ran down the back of the house. They were from decades ago, when the servants of the house lived on the top floor and they came out into the kitchen. Praying they would be open I made my escape down the narrow stairs. I opened the door at the bottom, silently with fingers crossed, hoping that there wouldn't be anyone in the kitchen that knew me.

Thankfully most of the guests were still in the hallway, all except for one man, who was standing in the kitchen holding two flutes of champagne and shouting for 'Belinda', he didn't look for her very hard before downing both glasses and wandering out into the garden, to replace them presumably. I saw my chance and slipped out of the back door.

Jo was fussing over the food inside the marquee, so I told her she was doing a great job and that she would have to excuse me as I had a migraine. She gave me a look as if to say 'Oh, are you still here and thanks for all the help' – bitch, if I wasn't so desperate to get away I'd give her a piece of my mind!

Back in the car, I couldn't get away fast enough, driving like a woman possessed, then, I can only presume I went into a state of shock as I started to shake and sweat. I pulled into the car park of a city centre hotel and hung over the steering wheel. A bubble of hysterical laughter rising from deep down exploded out through my lips, how the hell had I managed to come out of that unscathed. The thought of what could have happened sending shivers down my spine. I looked up and spotted the hotel bar – that's it, I thought, I think a really large drink is in order!

The hotel bar was busy, crowded with rugby supporters and a smattering of couples and single drinkers. I ordered a double gin and tonic, which didn't touch the sides and neither did the second one. I knew I was probably over the drink drive limit already, so I was just contemplating whether to carry on and get a taxi or just chance it, when a pair of large hands were placed either side of me and a pair of even larger thighs were pressed up against me. I was about to shoot down who ever it was, when I realised it was Duncan my blind date.

Duncan was in Bath for the rugby and looked as if he had been in the bar a while longer than I had! The gin was bedding in quite nicely and I accepted his offer of another drink and the welcome diversion from thinking about what had just happened. The atmosphere in the bar was raucous to say the least and whilst its not something that I would normally let myself be associated with, their friendly banter took my mind off the images flashing through my brain. I'm not proud of the fact that, a couple of hours later, when Duncan whispered in my ear that he was staying at the hotel and would I like to join him, I didn't take much persuading.

Suffice to say that when I woke it was dark and I was alone in the bed. I scrabbled around to find the lamp switch and the light flooding the room brought my attention to a large hand-written note left by the bedside. It read

"Gone back to the bar, feel free to join me gorgeous and we can go for round two later xx"

Outrageous! How dare he assume I would want to 'join him', I couldn't get dressed and out of there fast enough, without the gin goggles the whole situation filled me with horror – boy have I had better days!

I managed to escape the hotel without being spotted and arrived back home around 11.30pm. I really am getting good at getting out of bad situations without being caught. I made myself a cup of hot chocolate to try and stave off the inevitable dolly of a hangover that was currently brewing. Getting into bed my mind wandered back over the day, it was strange being back in Charles's bedroom, like time had gone into reverse. I knew I still loved him regardless of everything that had happened, but I also know now that he doesn't love me. Much as I hate her, Molly did look beautiful, in a woodland urchin sort of way, her long hair interwoven with tiny flowers – not my idea of a bride mind, but he seemed to like it. Hey ho, I guess maybe It's time to stop fighting them and see if we can get along. Mind, I don't think Duncan will feature in the race to be my future partner, I couldn't live with that laugh, having said that the rumours the girls heard from his rugby pals were pretty much spot on – not too shabby at all!

The next morning, I wasn't on top form but it could have been a lot worse. I juiced some green vegetables and managed to keep it down – result! Sam wasn't due back until the next day, so I planned a sofa day to catch up on my planner. I was quite surprised when my phone rang to say there was a face time call from Sam.

Sam's gorgeous little face appeared on my screen – I'm just thinking perhaps I don't look so gorgeous but never mind! Quick thinking as ever, I remembered I wasn't supposed to know that it had been the wedding, so asked him if he was ok and what he had been doing.

He said "Mum…. Dad and Molly got married yesterday"

Trying to keep a neutral face I said "Did they? That's lovely darling"

"Mum…. Were you invited to the wedding?"

"No Sam, Mum and Dad love you very much, but we don't do things together anymore"

"Yeah, that's what Dad said, it's just I thought I saw you there"

GULP!

"No Darling, it must have been someone who looked like me"

"Yeah, Dad said that as well, but then I showed him the photo!"

"What photo darling"

"I'll send you my photos Mum, I have to go cos dad doesn't know I am talking to you"

The ping of my e-mail heralded the receipt of Sam's photos, my heart dropped to my shoes! I skimmed through them. Just run of the mill wedding photos and Ah, there was a one of Charles's cousin Harriet, who has always looked like me from a distance, that must be it.

OMG! the next photo had me on my feet in an instant, swiftly followed by a visit to the bathroom; my green juice of this morning, making a re-appearance.

There, in all its glory and in full technicolour, is me standing on the balcony of Charles's bedroom, peeking around into the room, tissue in hand, for all the world wiping away the tears as I gaze into the bedroom, where Charles and Molly are lying on the bed! Sam's photo taking skills are showcased even more in the next shot as a close up reveals without a shadow of a doubt that the voyeur is me!

The caption Sam had put on the photos was "When I showed Dad these photos, he didn't seem very pleased. He's just gone out and banged the door, I think he might be on his way to see you Xxx"

SHIT!


	4. Chapter 4

Lovely Chevy is back with the next installment of Rebecca's View. Find a few minutes to hide away - you're in for a treat!

 **An Alternate View Part 4**

I calculated I probably had about ten minutes.

I suppose I could have just gone out, but it would just have been postponing the inevitable and It was so much better to do it straight away, rather than wait for Charles to bring Sam back the following day.

I've changed out of my sofa day clothes and put on a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, straightened my hair and put on a slick of mascara and lip gloss. It's the best I can do, my hangover seems to have returned with force! Thank goodness Sam fore-warned me about this, I couldn't have coped with Charles looking as I did.

I've sat in every seat in the house, I know exactly what will come through the door- Captain James at his intimidating best! I settle on sitting on the stairs, facing the front door, on the fifth step up. At least I will be on his eye level and if I stand up, I will be way taller than him. It's all strategic you know!

Even though I know it's coming I still jump when the car door slams. The knock on the door is sharp and loud:

"Come in" I shout.

The door swings open and he appears in front of me. Ha! I can see he wasn't expecting me to be sitting on the stairs. His momentary surprise is quickly replaced by 'Captain Shouty Face'. Even at this late stage I'm still not sure how to play this, should I brazen it out or come clean and apologise? I've never been one to wear my heart on my sleeve and humble doesn't come naturally, so lets just see how this goes was my thinking. I let him speak first:

"Explain to me why you were at my wedding yesterday, without an invitation!"

I choose to return his stare without speaking – Jeez that stare could bore a hole straight through you, I pity those new recruits that get the benefit of that look in their first few weeks! The stare off continues…..wow even looking like he could kill me, he's still looks divine! He repeats the question though this time slightly more menacingly, then:

"I should be putting you …"

"Charles! I'm not in the bloody army, you can't put me on a charge!"

"What I was going to say was, I should be putting you in the hands of the police as a stalker"

"Well that would be really good for Sam wouldn't It!"

I drew myself up to my full height and towering above him calmly said:

"The whole thing is a misunderstanding and it isn't how it looked"

Before he can respond I move off the stairs and into the kitchen. I don't bother asking, I just pick up a Rosabaya coffee pod and put it into the machine and switch it on. I don't keep a supply of them on the off-chance Charles drops in you understand, it's a taste I acquired when we were married and the smell will forever be associated with him, so I make myself a cup every now and then. I fetch one cup from the cupboard, I don't think I could physically swallow anything myself, but I was never going to tell him that!

Charles followed me into the kitchen and stood by the island with his arms crossed and tucked under his armpits. When I looked up he was looking at his feet and with a surprisingly gentle voice he said:

"Ok, you tell me what happened"

Putting the dark strong coffee down in front of him, I took a deep breath and began the torturous explanation. I explained that I had no intention of going anywhere near the Royal Crescent yesterday and I had made plans that were scuppered when Poppy rang me in distress asking me to help out.

"Who the hell is Poppy?"

"You remember Poppy"

Charles frowned and looked unsure, shaking his head.

"You know, dark hair, short, a bit tubby, she had that short-legged pony that you used to say would collapse under her weight"

The frown cleared and Charles nodded.

"By the way I had no idea you were getting married yesterday, I thought you were probably getting Sam's outfit sorted and you would be getting married the other weekend you asked for"

The corners of Charles's mouth tugged at a smile, confirming to me that that was the conclusion he had hoped I'd come to.

"Well that backfired big style, didn't it!" I shot back at him, wiping the smile from his face.

Oh shit, Captain 'Pain in the arse' is back!

"Rebecca, stop pissing about and tell me what happened"

"Well, as I said Poppy now runs a catering company and she asked me to help out" A rather ungraciously loud snort greets this piece of information.

"What! you help out serving food!"

"No of course not, she asked me to be in charge and be front of house"

"So, you thought I'd be really happy to find my ex-wife greeting me and welcoming me to my own wedding reception, did you?"

"Well, I didn't know it was your wedding did I?"

He's like a dog at a bone, I'm getting the feeling that coming out of this well, is going to take all my ingenuity. I mean it really wasn't planned and to a large extent not my fault, so I really can't see what all this anger is about. If it hadn't been for Sam's photo they wouldn't have been aware of any of it! When I pointed this out to him, he said that although he wasn't aware of it at the time, he was bloody aware of it now. Not only did he have every right to be angry, but he had a wife who now thinks that her husband's ex-wife is going to jump out of the wardrobe at any time and is probably plotting to push her down the stairs to get rid of her and a mother who was beside herself with rage that Rebecca had been in her house uninvited. So, he didn't think it was unreasonable to get some explanations!

"Why didn't you just turn around, make your excuses and leave then?"

"Well I couldn't let Poppy down, Could I?"

"Rubbish! The truth is you knew we were all away and you took your chance didn't you"

"Took my chance at what?"

"Well that's what I'm waiting to hear"

"I really don't know what you're accusing me of, but I will not be insulted in my own home!"

"Rebecca, why were you in my bedroom?"

This is not going well! – Being in the house, I can explain, being in his bedroom is a little more difficult. My hanging overworked mind is reaching overload, my head is pounding and tears are close.

"It used to be ours". Shit, where did that come from – I will not cry, I will not cry.

Large splashy tears appear, I want to stamp my foot at their untimely appearance and the fact I've let him see how much I'm hurting.

Charles is staring at me and he swallows hard:

"That was a very long time ago"

"Sometimes I wish we were twenty again and as happy as we were then"

Charles walked around the island to stand right in front of me, he reached out, but only to tear off some kitchen roll, from the dispenser, to mop up the flood of tears that were now dripping off my chin. His expression had softened as he handed it to me.

"Bex, I will always care about you and what happens to you. You are the mother of my son, but there was always something missing. When we were twenty all we cared about was having a good time and yes we were happy, but it wasn't and isn't enough. By the time we divorced we both needed different things from a partner. Finding Molly has been like finding the missing last jigsaw piece, she makes me happy and makes me complete."

He took the crumpled kitchen roll from my hand and finished mopping up the tears.

"You know you have never fooled me with all that attitude you have. I know down inside you have a good heart, its just its so far buried in there, nobody can see it. I want you to be happy, try to forget about all the material things and how stuff looks to others and maybe you will be. No more crying for me on the balcony, there's someone out there that will make you much happier than I ever could."

Bah! That Molly Dawes is making him go soft!

"What do you mean crying for you? I wasn't crying for you, it was the smell of the onions down below that made my nose run and eyes water!"

"Well it looked bloody like it on the photo"

"In your dreams Romeo" - Game On!

Charles smiled and grimaced "Well that's the Rebecca we all know and love!"

Charles pulled out a stool from under the kitchen island and perched on the edge of it. He ran his thumb along the rim of the half empty coffee cup.

"Just how long were you in my bedroom, because I'm bloody sure you never came past me down the stairs and we were there for ever, waiting for guests at the front door."

I smiled and asked if he remembered showing me the servants staircase all those years ago, he looked astonished then, congratulated me on my creative solution to a tricky problem. He said I had been lucky because that door into the kitchen was mostly locked, however lots of stuff had been put in there in the pre-wedding clean up and his mother must have forgotten to relock it. I told him I slipped out of the back door and made my escape, before he had finished greeting his guests.

Was there anyone in the kitchen when you came down the stairs?" - Strange question! So, I told him about the man who was drinking the champagne, but said he was the only person there. His laughter was music to my ears – perhaps this isn't going to be so bad after all.

"I think my mother has an apology to make to my new father in law"

"I don't understand"

It turned out during last night's celebrations, Molly's Dad really took a liking for the champagne and became shall we say a tad inebriated, they caught him coming out of the door to the back stairs. Charles's mother asked him where he had been, he said he'd been to the toilet. Thinking he had been upstairs she asked him how he knew there was a toilet up there. He replied he'd seen a posh bird coming out the door earlier smoothing down her skirt, so he knew it was the toilet. He hadn't gone upstairs but had peed just inside the door all over Mr James's wellies! The upshot being Mrs James accused him of making the 'posh bird' bit up and Mr Dawes accusing her of moving the toilet after he had been in it!

I pick up the now empty coffee cup to put in the dishwasher. I smile at him and tell him how pleased I am that we have had this chat and that the little misunderstanding has been cleared up, secretly hugging myself at how I have handled this potentially explosive situation.

It's only when I turn back to him I realise that he hasn't spoken and is looking at me with what can only be described as an incredulous look on his face.

"Do you really think that I'm going to let you walk away scot free after what you did yesterday?"

"Well I've explained haven't I?"

"That doesn't make it right, so I will tell you what is going to happen now"

I have the tiniest feeling that I'm not going to like what he's going to say.

"You are going to do two things"

"Am I really?"

"Number one, you will come with me now, back to Royal Crescent, you will explain what happened and apologise to Molly with good grace and assure her that nothing like this will ever happen again. You will also apologise to my Mother and Father for being in their house without their permission, explain how it happened and likewise assure them it will never happen again."

"Charles are you mad? I'm not going anywhere, you can pass on the explanations if you want, but that would just be humiliating!"

"Nevertheless, It is what you are going to do, because I'll tell you what would be more humiliating; when Molly and I send out our 'Thank you' cards to our guests, instead of a 'happy couple' picture it will have Sam's picture on the front with the close up on the inside. Then everyone can see what happened and draw their own conclusions."

What a rat! My mind is racing – should I call his bluff, after all there wouldn't be many guests I would know or care about. The thought of grovelling to Molly Dawes and his mother fills me with horror and you can guarantee he would sit there through the whole thing with that 'Captain James' expression. No, I'm just not doing it!

"Just in case you're thinking of refusing, I fully intend to order many more cards than I need and send one to every person in our old address book, which I believe holds all the addresses of your friends and relatives, probably with a quote.. 'It's sad when some people can't move on!"

"I'll get my jacket!"

Charles never bluffs, he will do it.

I grab my house keys and follow him out of the kitchen, then I remember..

"What was the second thing you wanted me to do?"

"You can bring back that bloody wedge you took out of the bed, I fully intend to spend most of the next few days in it with my beautiful wife and that squeaking is driving me mad!

 **Thank you for staying with this story, it never was meant to be more than a one shot but it seems to have grown legs!**


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